Look at all this FUN STUFF from Sharon !!!

Sam and Shadow are VERY happy with the BOX that Sharon sent them !! (Look, there's Shadow hogging the box, and Sam saying "MOMMMMMM!!! Shadow won't let me have a turn sitting in the box !") I, on the other hand, am VERY happy with the stuff that came IN the box !!! That sweet , crazy gal Sharon from Red Geranium Cottage not only sent me the "Autumn" book by Susan Branch (which I LOVE !!!!), but she also sent along some fun surprises !!! (as in those nice autumn colored dish towels, that very cute Halloween writing paper, AND that sweet votive candle holder made out of Halloween fabrics (made by Sharon, I'm guessing. -- is that right, Sharon? Did you make that ? and is that what it is -- for a candle?? well, whether it is or not, I like it holding a pumpkin scented candle !!!) Everything she sent me is GREAT-- right down to that darling tissue paper with the black stars on it that she packed everything in !!! .... and, of course, the box/kitty toy !

Well, I think I'll go put a comfy pair of sweats on and my fluffy slippers, make a cup of tea (ignore that stack of paperwork that's hanging over my head --not to mention laundry -- ah yes, the Queen of Procrastination is alive and well !) and go look at my new book !! (I think I even saw a recipe for cinnamon ice cream in there -- like the kind we had the other day at The City Tavern . I never heard of cinnamon ice cream until a few days ago when I had it for dessert , and now I found a recipe for it !!!! YUMMO !!!)

OK -- I've got some procrastinating to do ....

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

A perfect sewing day .......... EXCEPT .....

Today is a dreary, rainy, chilly day --- it's pouring on my pumpkins and it's the absolutely perfect kind of day to spend inside blissfully sewing and sipping on a lovely cup of tea ... and listening to some of my favorite "autumn" feeling music playing in the background. Bliss....... sigh ...... except for the fact that I have to finish getting my paperwork together and haul my butt out the door to drive around in the rain and fog to see my homecare patients .....RATS !! Well, if I hurry up and get off of this computer, I might have time to finish sewing on the letter "E" on my Finish What You Have Project before I have to leave... OK gotta zoom!

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

George, Ben and Tom ate here ! (Martha and Betsey , too?)

Today we were back in Philadelphia for a follow up appt for Mom. Everything went well, and she was feeling fine, so we decided to go out for a late lunch at The City Tavern on south 2nd Street. When you walk through the door, and see the waiters and waitresses dressed in colonial costumes and hear the harpsichord music playing, you feel like George (as in Washington) is going to come strolling in with Ben ( as in Franklin) to have a beer with Tom (as in Jefferson). (I guess Martha was home whittling George another set of teeth, and Betsey was busy throwing a flag together for these guys.)

Anyhow, look at that yummy bread -- all home made and served on a pewter plate (at least it looks like pewter.)Those little biscuit looking things on the bread plate were Thomas Jefferson's recipe -- they're made with mashed sweet potatoes and also have cinnamon and nuts in them. The water was served in pewter goblets ( my "colonial" diet coke, however, was served in a regular glass ....). OH !!! and look at that dessert !!! Apple Strudel (served warm) topped with cinnamon ice cream !!! VERY YUMMY !!! And there they are, those crazy kids, George(NOT Washington) and Nancy (aka Dad and Mom) posing in front of the harpsichord (I guess back in colonial days, this was considered the piano bar section of the Tavern.) So, now it can be said that in addition to George (Washington) , Ben and Tom (and I think, John and Sam Adams -- who, I guess brought his own beer) , George and Nancy can now be added to the list of distinguished patrons who have eaten at The City Tavern !

Well, I must go powder my wig ....

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

I won !!!! AGAIN !!!!

I can't believe it !! I won the Susan Branch "Autumn" book from that crazy, fun loving gal Sharon at Red Geranium Cottage. THANKS !!!! I LOVE Susan Branch's style of drawing !! I TRY to copy her style when I attempt to do my feeble little drawings -- so her "Autumn" book (and I also LOVE autumn!!) is the absolute PERFECT prize (unless of course we're talking lottery and big bucks ) ANYWAY -- THANKS SHARON !!!!!

Toodles,
Mary Anne

Mom Update - - she's baaaaack !!!

I'm happy to report that my Mom is home and doing very well. (thank you everyone for your well wishes and nice comments!) She came through her surgery without any problems on Wednesday and they gave her the boot on Thursday morning. (wish I could say the same for that new "Hurry Up and Wait "needle turn applique project I started during our 8 hour waiting room stint on Wednesday --- it came out OK but was a bit awkward for me to do -- I guess I should give it another chance -- but I'm thinking maybe doing prep work first on the seam allowances using the starch method or glue stick method would be less frustrating? )

ANYHOW, back to the Mom Update - - - she called us at the hotel Thursday morning and said she could go anytime -- so we revved up the get - away car , zoomed to the hospital and kept the motor running while the RN sprung her with her stack of instructions. We decided NOT to take the Schuylkill Expressway (it was a Phillies play off game day -- meaning way more traffic than I felt like dealing with) -- so we headed up Broad Street instead and guess what -- there was road construction -- although not too bad. Then we decided to take Rt 309 North instead of the Pa Turnpike since we ran into alot of road construction on that on the way down -- and guess what --- there was ...... ROAD CONSTRUCTION on Rt 309 too !!!! (Big Surprise!!!) Soooo, by the time we got outside of Philly , to Montgomeryville, it was lunch time --- and bathroom break time ..... soooooo, I just happened to make a right turn onto Stump Rd and pulled into a little strip mall/shopping center that just happened to have a deli and just happened to have a ........ QUILT SHOP !!!!!! A coincidence?!???? I think NOT !!!! HA ! ( a couple of years ago, I had been to this same quilt shop and I kind of thought the area looked familiar -- amazing how that quilt shop radar works !! ) Anyhow, after we had a hoagie at the deli and hit the bathroom, Mom was up for a little quilt shop visit (what a trooper!!!) -- however it isn't really high on the list of fun stuff to do for George (aka Dad) ..... so, we locked him in the car with the air conditioner on and some Big Band era music on and a Pa highway map to plot out our route home, and he was a happy camper. Mom and I spent a lovely 45 minutes wandering blissfully through Country Quiltworks looking at books, fabrics galore, finished quilts, notions and doo dads. --- and be still my heart! --- look at the fun goodies I got !!!! Fig Tree Quilts new book "Houses"; "Fall Back in Time" fabric by Sandy Gervais; "Chelsea Boutique" fabric by Blackbird Designs; and wool -- pretty colors of wool !!!! OH !! I just want to take a bath in that wool it's so gorgeous !!!!

Anyhow, back to Mom --- when we got home I thought Mom should go put her feet up and rest -- she ,as usual, did not -- she had to unpack her things, go through the mail, make out a grocery list for me , write out a check or 2, call her sister , call her friend, etc, etc, etc, ---- SHEESH !!! Then I was dismissed --- I was told to go home, she and Dad would be fine and I didn't have to stay over night !! WOW !!!! She may be little, but she's definately one tough cookie !!!

Thanks again for all of your well wishes !

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

I'll be away from Blogland for a few days .....

Tomorrow morning is my Mom's scheduled surgery -- we'll be leaving for Philadelphia this evening. If all goes as planned, she should be discharged the following day, then I may stay at her house with her for a couple of days. Soooooo..... I've got my "waiting room activities" lined up --- there's my stack of magazines that I forced myself NOT to look at too much before we leave .... and .... yep ... I did it ... I started a new "Hurry Up and Wait" project . I felt I needed a little variety in my "Hurry Up and Wait "projects -- so I thought I'd give needle turn applique a spin -- I'll let ya know how this goes. I'm following Robyn Pandolph's needle turn method. AND, wait, wait, wait --- even though I joined the FWYHchallenge, I feel , technically speaking, since my FWYH project is a sewing machine project and my new needle turn applique project is a take - along hand work project, I haven't broken the rules ...... yet......!


Sooo, hopefully Mom's surgery will go smoothly and she'll be home sooner rather than later and back to her old self .... and I'll be back to the fun and games of Blogland sooner rather than later ! Until then ..... Have fun !!

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

It's apple season !!!

Yummmmmmmm........crisp apples fresh from the orchard. I love going to the apple orchard in the fall to pick apples AND I love eating those crisp autumn apples, either right from the tree, or in a pie !! -- too bad my pie baking skills are less than stellar -- can't seem to get that pie crust right .... and it's probably a good thing since I LOVE pie crust and I'd probably scarf the whole thing up all by myself -- can we say "oink" and "getting bigger than the side of a barn?" -- sooooo, happily I stumbled upon this compromise: the "Baked Apple Streusel"recipe from Weight Watchers. I made it for dessert tonight and the teenagers and hubby all liked it -- didn't feel like they were eating "diet food" . I thought I'd share the recipe with all of you because I think it's a winner! Here goes:

Baked Apple Streusel

Ingredients:
4 medium apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (use firm apples)
1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned oats
3 Tbsp reduced calorie margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together 1/4 cup of brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice; pour into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Cut flour, oatmeal, remaining brown sugar and margarine together with a pastry blender or fork in a medium bowl; sprinkle over apple mixture. Bake until apples are tender and top is browned, about 45 minutes. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving. (makes 8 servings; 3 Wt Watchers points per serving). Serve warm . (it's really good with a blob of Lite Cool Whip on top !!!)

Enjoy!

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)